Statistics & Information

Almost 80% of the population live in poverty (less than $2 per day); 60% of those are in extreme poverty.
67% of indigenous children suffer from chronic malnutrition (Unicef)

Of a population of over 12,000,000 people, 45% are indigenous.
50% of the people are Catholic. 40% are evangelicals.
71% of the population are literate.
GDP: $2,200 per capita (2005 est) - but it's really much worse because of the grossly uneven distribution.
50% of the Mayan children, even today, receive no schooling. Less than 30% complete primary school (6th grade).
In Latin America, Guatemala has the lowest life expectancy and the highest infant mortality rate.
A woman is 15 times more likely to die in childbirth in Guatemala than in the U.S. The average woman has 4 to 5 children, and 42% of the population is under 15. Only 43% of women use any form of birth control, including "natural" methods. This falls to 21% among indigenous women. Nearly a third of women report an unmet desire for family planning. Cervical cancer is the most common cause of cancer-related deaths among women of reproductive age.
There were 80,000 new high school graduates last year. There were only 5,000 new jobs.
200,000 people were killed during the 36 year long civil war. Although the peace accords were signed in 1996, violence is still widespread. The murder rate of women has increased dramatically. From the beginning of 2001 to April 2007, 2,300 women and girls were murdered. 70% of these murders are not investigated and no arrests have been made in 97% of the cases, which involve incredible brutality, mutilation, dismemberment, sexual violence. The murder rate overall has doubled since 2000 and is 6 times the rate of the U.S.

Babies, Health Care & Traditions

Mi maestro decía que especialmente in el pasado, los Mayas no confiaban en los médicos y en los hospitales públicos. Para dar a luz, las mujeres preferían las comadronas para atender. Si sus hijos estuvieran enfermos, ellas los llevaban al sacerdote maya en vez de un doctor.

Ella me contaba la historia de su hermana mayor, quien se enfermo cuando era niña. Después ella ha tenido diarrea y vomitando por varios días, sus padres tenían miedo. Llevaron a la niña al sacerdote en su aldea y el les dijo que la madre era la causa de la enfermedad de su hija. El les dijo que era porque la madre no respetaba su esposo (quien, a este tiempo, tenia 16 anos) que su hijo estaba enferma. Les dijo que se arrodillaran y él dio a la madre 25 latigazos. El padre, él dio 10 latigazos. No entiendo si las palizas tenían la intención de castigar a los padres o de curar la niña. Como quiera que sea, el doctor les dijo que la niña iba a mejorar el próximo día. 5 días después, los padres temerosos llevaron la niña al doctor. Ella estaba mucho peor. El doctor estaba enojado porque los padres no han llevado a la niña antes. El dijo que era demasiado tarde para hacer algo para la niña y que su madre, de edad de 20 anos, debió haber sabido mejor. El próximo día, la niña murió. Los padres sufrían mucho y no creen en los sacerdotes ahora. Es una de las mas triste historias he oído, pero desafortunadamente creo que ocurría mucho en el pasado y posiblemente todavía ocurre frecuentemente.

Women´s Health & Other Problems in Guatemala

It was 6 years ago when Sue Patterson received a call from a nurse friend asking for her help. The friend was working with 7 women who wanted to have their tubes tied. Each of them had at least 8 children. When Sue learned that $35 would pay for a tubal ligation for one of the women, she said that yes, she would pay for one of them. And furthermore she would email some of her friends, who might help some of the other women. The next thing she knew, says Sue, her friends had emailed their friends, and people were sending money to her. Shortly she had $4,000 in her bank account and says, "it occurred to me that this was not my daughter's money if something should happen to me!" Thus WINGS was created to help poor women in Guatemala to obtain reproductive health services.

Sue spoke this evening at the Rainbow Cafe. The Rainbow is kind of an all-purpose hangout for foreigners. It includes a cafe with pretty good food (but terrible coffee!), a bar, a used book store / exchange, a travel agency, and a bulletin board with announcements about local events, rentals available, etc. They host musical performances on most nights, and their best feature, they regularly host speakers on significant current events and conditions in Guatemala.

WINGS now has 15 employees as well as many volunteers. They have a $500,000 budget and focus on 3 main programs: (1) Family planning education and referrals in rural villages, (2) Youth Wings - 140 young people have been trained to provide talks to their peers and others, and (3) Cervical cancer screening.
Here are some of the sad statistics which Sue discussed:

· 60% of the population of Guatemala lives below the poverty line.
· Only 43% of women use any form of birth control, including "natural" methods. This falls to 21% among indigenous women.
· The average woman has 4 - 5 children.
· Cervical cancer is the most common cause of cancer-related deaths among women of reproductive age.
· A woman is 15 times more likely to die in childbirth in Guatemala than in the U.S.

As she discussed the numerous problems facing the country today, it was clear that Ms Patterson found the situation to be discouraging. It was equally obvious that she intends to continuing to help as many women as she can to have the resources to take control of their own reproductive health.

Other statistics:
· $50 protects 4 women from unwanted pregnancy for 1 year using Depo Provera every 3 months.
· $100 pays for 7 women or men to undergo voluntary sterilization.
· $250 pays for 20 women to receive cervical cancer screening and necessary follow-up treatment.

I am very impressed by this organization. You can find more information about them at the Wings Website.